Sacred Fools Presents The West Coast Premiere Of TOO HEAVY FOR YOUR POCKET

Sacred Fools Theater Company is excited to continue its 22st season with the West Coast Premiere of Too Heavy for Your Pocket written by Jiréh Breon Holder and directed by Michael Shepperd. "We have been tracking Too Heavy For Your Pocket since its world premiere, and were deeply affected by the poetry and humanity on display in Jirén's work," former Artistic Director Bryan Bellomo says. "We are honored to bring a west coast premiere to Los Angeles, and thrilled to finally have the opportunity to partner with Michael A. Shepperd, the perfect director to tell this delicate story of aspiration and familial love."

Opening Friday, February 1st and running through March 2nd, Too Heavy for Your Pocket will be performed in the Black Box Theater space of the Broadwater Theater Complex. Performances will be at 8pm of Fridays and Saturdays as well as Sundays at 7pm throughout the run. Preview shows will be on January 25th and 26th at 8pm.

In rural Tennessee at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, two young African-American couples struggle to understand justice, love, and their own responsibilities. Too Heavy for Your Pocket beautifully explores the sacrifices and tolls in the fight for freedom and equality that are placed, not only on the fighters, but the people they love. The play had its World Premiere at the Alliance Theater in Atlanta before moving to the Roundabout Theater in New York.

Too Heavy for Your Pocket was the recipient of the Laurents/Hatcher Foundation Award, winner of the 2017 Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition National Graduate Playwriting Competition, and had an extended off-Broadway run at the Roundabout Theatre.

Jiréh Breon Holder is an Atlanta area playwright, director, and dramaturg. His sharp yet funny and often political plays frequently include wild visual metaphors and address the magic of everyday life in the South.

From 2016-2019, Jiréh served as the Playwriting Fellow of the Department of Theater and Creative Writing at Emory University. In 2016, he received his MFA in Playwriting from the Yale School of Drama where he studied with Sarah Ruhl. He is a co-founder of Pyramid Theatre Company in Des Moines, Iowa. From 2012-13, he served as the Kenny Leon Fellow at the Tony Award-winning Alliance Theatre. He graduated cum laude from Morehouse College (B.A. Theatre) where he served as the artistic director of Spelman College Playwrights' Workshop and directed several productions.

His other plays have received productions at the Alliance Theatre, the Yale School of Drama and Yale Cabaret. He has also received readings at the Manhattan Theatre Club, the Roundabout Theatre, the Kennedy Center, and the Old Globe Theatre. Jiréh is under commission with the Old Globe Theatre, the Roundabout Theatre, and the Manhattan Theatre Club and is currently a writer on NBC's new hit show NEW AMSTERDAM.

Director Michael Shepperd is the Artistic Director of Los Angeles' award-winning Celebration Theatre. Recent Directing credits include: The Boy From Oz (Ovation Award, LADCC Award, Best Director), Rotterdam (LADCC Award Best Production, Stage Raw award for Best Production (win) and Best Director, nom) Laughter on the 23rd Floor (Director of the Year, Scenie Award, BWW nom, Best Director) The View Upstairs (BWW award, Best Director) The Next Fairy Tale, [title of show], A Gay Christmas Carol, GaGa Gardens, Rent. He was also Assistant Director for Sweat at the Mark Taper. Michael is a Resident Director for The Blank Theatre's Young Playwrights Festival.

The award-winning design team consists of Fools veterans Alex Calle (Scenic Design), Matthew Richter (Lighting Design), Jaime Robledo (Sound Design), Micheal Teoli (Music Composition) as well as newcomers to Sacred Fools Michael O'Hara (Prop Design) Naila Aladdin Sanders (Costume Design), Byron Batista (Hair and Wigs). Too Heavy for Your Pocket is produced for Sacred Fools by Scott Golden who is assisted by K.J. Middlebrooks.

About the Cast

Too Heavy for Your Pocket stars Derek Jackson, Kacie Rogers, Jaquita Ta'le and Shane Liburd. The understudy cast features Ken Ivey, Andrea Nguyen, Jerome Terry and Kita Grayson.

Sacred Fools Gives Back: DWYC Performance - Friday, February 8th

It's "Pay What You Can" with a twist! Half of all proceeds for this performance will be donated to 100 Black Men of Los Angeles, a non-profit, 501(c)3 civic and community-based organization that serves as a catalyst for the disadvantaged and underrepresented segments of the community. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for African Americans and other minorities through the enhancement of educational and economic opportunities within the community.

The 100BMLA was founded on the precept that we would make a difference in the communities we serve by demonstrating our unconditional support for the enhancement of education for our youth. Among the 100's many accomplishments is the major sponsorship of the Young Black Scholars Program ("YBS").

Since 2013, Sacred Fools has held a DWYC performance for each mainstage show, partnering with close to 20 different organizations, raising over $6,000 for worthy causes.

There's always something happening at Sacred Fools, including Serial Killers, The Joe and Joshua Show, Ten Tops and We The People. For more information on these and other upcoming performances, please visit www.sacredfools.org.

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